Kookoo Sabzi

Kookoo sabzi is another vegetable dish served during the Persian New Year (Nowruz) celebration. It's also a great one meal vegetarian dish made of several herbs (sabzi) and if you bake it in the oven rather than frying it on the stove it would absorb less oil, which is always a good thing for the heath conscious cook. Once you have all the vegetables cleaned, washed and chopped finely, the rest is very easy. I use my food processor to chop the herbs. It saves a lot of time.

25 comments:

hi azita, my grandmother used to put barberries or walnuts but also some lime juice in hers, i am not sure how i feel about that, though. what do you think? my grandmother is no more with us and my mother never learnt this recipe from her. i vaguely remember it, thankfully.i really like your method.

Dear Shayma, love the idea of adding some lime juice to kookoo sabzi. Although I have never tried it before I'm going to add juice of a lime to the batter next time I make it, or perhaps serving some cut up limes next to the dish for those who love their meal with that extra zing. Thanks for the tip! I'll let you know how it turns out.

Hello, I really love kukuye sabzi, in the morning, in the evening, cold or warm, with joughurt or without...it's almost the best dish of persian kitchen. Especially the zereshk!! Thank you for your recipe.I don't like cilantro too much, so I use cress, thai basil or some kind of garlic leaves instead.Lots of greetings form Germany!

Dear Azita,I already gave a try to Kookoo Sabzi with walnuts and barberries and this time I did this version. Of course with some small alterations (instead of barberries - cranberries and raisins, a bit more than 2 Tbsps, and instead of one cup of scallions I think I used tareh (or at least something that looks very similar) and I added the juice from half of the lemon). It was GREAT! Since I did it for a picnic we ate it cold and almost everybody liked it - something like 15 people at least :-)It would be probably so nice to do it with barberries... Someday I buy it somewhereThank you very much for sharing your passion and your recipes.Wioletta

Dear Azita, I am having a wonderful time reading your recipes and I have been thoroughly enjoying your blog. It's inspiring and informative and definitely my new go-to reference for Persian specialties. I made the Kookoo Sabzi last night with wonderful results. Beautiful, delicious AND healthy! I'm blogging about it today with a link to your blog to send more interested cooks and readers your way. I invite you to visit www.katiespassionkitchen.blogspot.com. Glad you're sharing such fabulous knowledge and recipes! Thank you! Katie

I'm planning a Nowruz brunch party in March, and my guests are a mix of Iranian and non-Iranians.

I have never made kookoo sabzi, so I don't have a "cooking" feel for it. I wanted to know if it is a good idea to make individual ones using a muffin pan or something similar to that, or if it's better to stick to the traditional method and make a big one and cut into pieces. I really like how you make it in the oven - I always mess up frying, because I try to be healthy and use little oil, and my kookoo's are always "non-presentable"!!!

My other plans for the brunch are haleem, mirza ghasemi, and of course noon o panir. Any suggestions are greatly appreciated!

Maryam jan, baking in the oven is the most foolproof way to cook kookoo sabzi. I suggest cutting the kookoo sabzi into pieces. Baked in an oven or fried, either way they are delicious! Your brunch menu sounds wonderful! Thank you and enjoy your brunch!

Thanks Azita Jan. I'm making this for my non-Iranian friends and want to use dried herbs from Sadaf can. I also wanted to add shredded onions to the mix with zereshk and turmeric. Do you recommend to add onions? Thanks Ali

Hi Azita! I made this kookoo today and it turned out very delicious, exactly what kookoo is supposed to taste like and better. I love the walnuts in it and that you bake it in the oven. Your blog is fantastic! I love that you give very accurate measurements and detailed instructions. One of the reasons I keep coming back to your site for Persian recipes. Thank you very much!